talents, four JW students who entered
work into Washburn University’s Art Day
in November received special acknowledgment.
Entering art that finished in the top
three out of 150 works from 15 area high
schools, senior Tazz Eastman earned first
in sculpture, junior Morgan Boldridge
earned first in digital photography, junior
Darian Housworth earned second in
painting, and senior Tyler Flint earned
third in mixed materials.
One of the main features of Art Day
was the workshops taught by Washburn
University professors. Twelve students
participated in the workshops.
Art teacher Mark Ralston had been
looking forward to the event because
of all the great opportunities it provides
yearly.
“Washburn Art Day offers great exposure to our students to what other high
school students are doing and insight
into classes at a university,” Ralston said.
“I was very proud of how our students
represented Jeff West.”
Story by: Grady Middendorf and Anthony Sanchez
Photo by: Mark Ralston

• fall sports wrap-up

Senior makes first chair in district band

SPORTS

• winter sports preview

SPORTS

SPORTS

• Weststepper profile
• hunting

• junior competes in cheer
• a thousand miles
• cheerleader profile

OPINION

• Thanksgiving

OPINION

• students go to Boston

OPINION

• Rachel’s Challenge

FEATURES 2

Q: What made you interested in music?
A: “Music has been a huge part of my
family’s life, and I have grown up with
music.”
Q: Describe a memorable experience
you’ve had in band.
A: “Making first chair in the district band.
It was amazing to be rewarded with such
an amazing opportunity through my
hard work.”
Q: How much time do you put into your
instrument and band itself?
A: “I usually spend around 30 minutes
a day practicing.”
Story and photo by: Emily Anderson

•the gamut

Arts

A
Senior Kailee Gibson, freshman Chelsey Davis and junior Kayla Erickson prepare for Little Women at rehearsal. Held Nov. 22 and 23, the play was directed by
teacher Shawn Beuchat. “I love being able to play different characters and put on a show for others to enjoy,” Gibson said. Photo by: Anthony Sanchez

Love for theater drives student
performers to commit countless hours
A love for theater is what drives teen
thespians to commit countless hours to
a stage production every semester.
Students invested in the thespian
troupe also accrue points through participation in community events. Some
participate in the state conference.
“I work so hard to memorize lines to
have that feeling of adrenaline when I
step on stage,” said junior Kayla Erickson.
Future thespians are introduced to
theater in middle school where they have
the option to take drama with thespian
troupe sponsor Shawn Beuchat.
“I was in theater class in middle
school,” said sophomore Lizzie Huffman, who acted in the fall Little Women
production.
Not all thespians are involved in
acting. Other options include stage crew

•the gamut

and set builders.
“I’m the guy running the show no one
gets to see,” said senior Jose Garza.

“

It was a lot of
work, but the
friendships you
make are worth it.

Most thespians are able to be placed in
any position and produce a great show.
Others are productive in specific areas.
“I’m happy wherever they put me,”
said junior Katie Farrant.
After performances, the cast appears

together on stage. Farrant described the
experience as fantastic.
“Most days it’s kind of a sense of accomplishment,” Huffman said.
After the play thespians are not active
until state conferences.
“I love state conference,” Huffman
said. “(It’s) like a family.”
At the end of the school year thespians
say they have made friends and memories along the way. Training their minds
is the hardest part of the year, according
to Erickson.
“It was a lot of work, but the friendships you make are worth it,” Erickson
said.
Beuchat welcomes thespians and future thespians every summer in theater
camp. Many thespians find their start
there.
Story by: Hannah Howey

FEATURES 3

22 inducted
into NHS
The JW National Honor Society chapter accepted 22 new members during
the Nov. 12 induction.
The ceremony began with vocals
from Lakeside. The whole ceremony
was a serious affair, according to senior
Bethany Harvey.
“I felt very happy, like all my hard
work had paid off,” Harvey said.
The speaker was JW graduate Dr.
Susan Scholtz.
“I was glad that I was inducted into
such a prestigious group,” said junior
Allie Deiter. “It will look good when applying to colleges.”
NHS requires students to have community service for membership.
“It was very exciting,” said junior Karli
Fleischer.
Others inducted were Olivia Brees,
Macy Bruton, Kayla Davis, Janelle Debus, Jacob Dickey, Jody Emery, Kayla
Erickson, Matthew Hamon, Bethany
Harvey, Austin Irvine, Jacob Kahler, Jacob Lawhorn, Kayla Lawson, Samantha
Montgomery, Jonah Mooradian, Boyd
Roenne, Cassidy Sands, Danielle Slimmer, Bailee Steffey and Wynne Taylor.
Story by: Hannah Howey

Senior Dalton Hahn addresses the audience Nov.
12 at the induction ceremony for National Honor
Society. As president of the organization, Hahn
delivered remarks during the formal ceremony.
Also pictured: Senior Aaron Brooks.
Photo by: Anthony Sanchez

Youth collaborate in faith, showcase talents
While most kids are focused on the
Monday ahead of them, some kids from
grades six through 12 meet up at the Jefferson Assembly of God every Sunday
from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for an activity called
Co*Motion that helps kids grow with
their faith in God and leadership.
Several JW students are involved
including freshman Marissa Dowding,
senior Josiah Dowding, junior Tess
Watson, sophomore Kiersten Forbes and
senior Jesse Best.
“Co*Motion is a separate group
within the youth group that kids have
to sign up for. It’s a commitment and

FEATURES 4

involves weekly meetings, which some
of our meetings are extra prayer and
development of kid’s gifts and talents,”
said group leader Blaine Moore. “What

Co*Motion
we do is travel to other churches or statewide meetings and take part in state and
national Fine Arts competitions.”
Fine Arts is an event where church
groups from all over Kansas meet in
Wichita and qualify to go to nationals

with the talents they have in fine arts.
Marissa Dowding said that one of the
fun things she enjoys doing is puppets,
which incorporates black light.
Co*Motion’s slogan is Moving Forward Together in Faith.
Watson said Co*Motion is about five
years old, and the purpose is to minister
to their church and do activities with the
church. Any high schooler can participate.
Student members “really need to be
involved in the church and be serious
about Co*Motion,” Dowding said.
Story by: Emily Anderson

•the gamut

Debate

Junior organizes
October event
to benefit victims
of domestic violence

Three prepare for state
Three students have the opportunity
to compete at state debate.
Sophomore Katy Chase, junior Zac
Surritt and sophomore Elizabeth Huffman have qualified and are on their way
to Fort Scott where the event will be held
in January.
“Josh McTHIS YEAR’S
Garity and I got
TOPIC
four and one
and received
second place
at Manhattan,” Economic
Surritt said.
engagement of
The debaters are spend- either Mexico,
ing time pre- Cuba, or
paring for the Venezuela
event by making sure their cases are fool-proof and
preparing for anything. They must have
enough information to present strong
negative arguments when needed.
“You just have to work on keeping
your case,” Huffman said. “You always
run into more experienced people.”
The competitors have been prepar ing
their cases with sponsor Mary Naumann.
“This is my second year going to
state,” Suritt said. “The competition is a
lot harder because it’s all over the state.”
Any debater who wants to go on to
state needs a four and one record to
continue on. The team has continued
on to state for the past seven years.
“Everyone puts in their efforts, and
it’s a lot of fun,” Chase said.
In debate it is important to use words

to convey points and avoid abusive behavior.
“We even had a judge from the Seaman tournament seek out Mrs. Frakes
to give kudos to Katie Chase and Liz
Huffman for their politeness in round,”
Naumann said.
“We are excited to continue the year
and do our best,” Surritt said.

Partially organized by junior
Bailee Steffey, the Oct. 19 Make the
Break from Domestic Violence 5K
Run/Walk in Ozawkie featured 35
runners.
The event began at the Ozawkie
United Methodist Church.
Steffey committed to the event
because she heard about it at the
United Methodist Women District
Meeting. Domestic violence is a
form of abuse that can be mental or
physical.
“It’s a bad thing that happens, and
it shouldn’t happen,” Steffey said.
Among the runners were two
teachers: science teacher Rod Smith
and social science teacher Blanche
Wulfekoetter.
“Domestic violence is a cycle that
starts in homes and is difficult to
break,” Wulfekoetter said.
A few students volunteered to
help set up the run and earned extra
credit.
“I enjoyed seeing some of the
football players there in the morning
after they played in a game the night
before,” Smith said.
Proceeds from the event benefited
DOVE Inc., The Willow Domestic
Violence Center and YWCA.
Story by: Sarah Allison

Story by: Hannah Howey

Money matters
Representing FBLA, sophomore Bailey Day
collects money during lunch for the March of
Dimes. FBLA members stationed in the commons collected during lunches. “It’s for a good
cause,” Day said.
Photo by: Lisa Sage

A

•the gamut

FEATURES 5

FFA

Organization
offers leadership,
ag opportunities
Many people would be surprised to
know that FFA is a leadership organization with interest in agriculture, instead
of the other way around. Agriculture is
everything from growing the crop or
animal to the science that produces the
food that is on our plates every day.
FFA sells fruit and meat as its main
fundraiser, and members also do concessions at varsity football games with
FCCLA and pop and popcorn at home
basketball games.
“I grew up around FFA and have always
been interested in animals and animal
judging,” said freshman Nathan Buss. “I
like to be involved in anything that I can
interact with animals.”
To be able to be in FFA, students pay
a $15 fee and must be academically eligible to go to activities outside of school.
FFA is an intra-curricular class, participating both inside and outside the
classroom. Meetings and conventions
are held throughout the year with state
convention and officer retreats happening during the summer months, as well
as many other evening and weekend
activities.
“I think people would be surprised
to know that you actually learn a lot of
stuff, and it’s really fun and if you know
the things you’ve learned then you can
help other people,” said freshman Shanie
Adams.
A recent memorable experience for
sponsor Steve Buss was when the ag sales
team won at nationals.
“Many FFA advisors will never have a
team go to nationals, let alone win it,” he
said. “You get out of life what you put into
it. Be active and get involved in activities
that will make you a better person. Make
your own decisions on what you want to
do and pursue these with all you’ve got.”
According to the sponsor, students’
success fuels him to put more effort into
helping them be successful.
“I want students to see the possibilities available to them by being involved
in FFA,” he said.

Students, teachers stay late
to offer homework help
Tutoring aids students in their everyday learning by giving them the
opportunity to learn not only from
teachers but from peers.
Most students who sign–in for tutoring are working on a math or science
class, and tutors must be capable of
answering questions from any level of
science or math.
“I get to help the kids,” said junior
tutor Austin Irvine.
Irvine has the most hours this semester as a tutor, spending anywhere from
20 to 30 hours in the library a month.
On average the daily attendance in
tutoring is 25.
“I really enjoy getting to help people,
so (tutoring) was a bit of a no brainer,”
said junior tutor Kayla Lawson.
There are 10 tutors. On average
each student spends one to two hours
in tutoring. Therefore each tutor needs
more than two hours to assist any student who may want their help.
Tutoring isn’t just a walk in the park.

Before considering becoming a tutor,
know that it will get busy.
“Lots of people come in especially
during test times,” Irvine said. “It gets
a little crazy.”
Dedication not only comes from the
students but also from the teachers who
spend the time to hand out tests and
monitor the sessions.
“I like that I get to know students
I might not encounter,” said teacher
Peris Wanjiku.
By the time tutoring closes not many
people are still in the library; most
people leave before 6 p.m.
“It’s pretty quiet and normally after
30 minutes of tutoring it’s just me and
sometimes another tutor,” said junior
tutor Connor Mickens.
Students who participate in tutoring
earn community service hours but do
not receive payment. The teachers who
tutor receive compensation for their
extra time.
Story by: Hannah Howey

A
Junior Kayla Lawson takes advantage of free
time in tutoring to work on her own homework.
Lawson tutored students first semester, along
with nine other student tutors. “I really enjoy getting to help people,” she said.
Photo by: Hannah Howey

STAY CALM
AND
GO TO
TUTORING

Athletic-minded new administrator at home
Representing
StuCo, senior
Kailee Gibson
interviews assistant principal
Brandan Giltner
at the August
StuCo-sponsored
assembly. Club
representatives
spoke, and a motivational speaker
were also part of
the day’s activities.
“StuCo put the
questions together
that they thought
students would
want to know
about Mr. Giltner,”
Gibson said.
Photo by: Blaine
Hawley

A

•the gamut

A semester has passed, and assistant
principal and athletic director Brandan
Giltner has been busy since day one.
As the athletic director, Giltner schedules the activities for the high and middle
schools, fills the open coaching positions, orders supplies and uniforms for
activities, and schedules transportation,
referees and supervision for activities.
As a high school student Giltner
wanted to major in physical education
and become a coach.
“I wanted to get paid to play,” Giltner
said.
The Broncos lover also enjoys riding motorcycles and watching his kids
participate in activities, watching professional sports, playing video games,
golfing and fishing.
“My role (is) to develop a positive relationship with every student and assist
them in being a productive citizen,” he
said. “Go Broncos and go Tigers.”
Story by: Anna Mooradian

FEATURES 7

Fall sports

Determination pays off; volleyball
players get state opportunity

A
Head coach Sara Becker gave a pep talk to the varsity team at state. While the three games were losses
for the Tigers, the third game went into three sets. “It was a really great experience,” said junior Danielle
Slimmer. “State makes you feel like you’re at the Olympics.” Photo by: Allie Deiter

The Tigers strutted their way to state
volleyball this year after winning the
regional championship.
West recovered easily from their loss
of seven seniors on last year’s team.
Coach Sara Becker is very proud of
the Lady Tigers who finished the season
with a record of 24-17.
“The record doesn’t show how good
of a team we really were,” Becker said.
Eleven of the team’s 24 losses were to
teams that made the state tournament.
“It has always been a goal of mine to
take a team to state,” Becker said. “It
was a great experience for younger kids
to get used to the atmosphere.”
Becker believes it was an overwhelming but positive experience for players.
“It was frustrating that we should have
done better,” Becker said.
One of the challenges Becker said they
faced during the season was “making
sure we (kept) our heads up.”
Volleyball is a “momentum sport,”
Becker said.
Some of the surprises the team experienced at state included how big it was
and the pressure it put on the players.
Junior setter Emily Brown played a
key role in the team’s successful season.
“We started off rocky, but we went a
long way,” Brown said.
She believes people would be surprised to know a lot of things about the
state experience.
“The noise in the gym is loud, and it’s
hard for your eyes to adjust to the light,”
Brown said.
Junior Cassidy Sands also served as
an asset to the Tigers in their playoff run.
“I enjoyed playing with all of the girls,”
Sands said.
According to Sands, the team experienced some early season difficulties
that they overcame.
“By the end of the season we were
playing together,” Sands said.
Story by: Connor Mickens

SPORTS 8

•the gamut

review
Football
Senior Ian Mullins
eludes a Nemaha
Valley defender.
Mullins played
quarterback and
safety. “We knew
we had a great
group of guys,” he
said. “We just let
some games get
away from us.”
Photo by: Anna
Mooradian

Senior wide receiver Aaron Brooks lines up for play. Brooks had
many key catches throughout the season. “I thought our team
had great chemistry,” Brooks said. “We all got along and played
as a team.” Photo by: McKena Metzger

A

GIRLS’ GOLF
State qualifier

Junior Allie Deiter practices at Village
Greens. Deiter represented the Tigers at
the state tournament. “It was a great experience,” she said.
Photo by: Anthony Sanchez

Cross country runners stretch and prepare to run in their
Sept. 5 meet. The Shawnee North contest was the first of
the season. Pictured: Nathaniel Schmidt, David Sayles,
Madison Keuny, Nick Yeske, Christian Fast. For many runners, including junior Jacob Lawhorn, preparation was
both mental and physical. “I just try to get stretched out
and get mentally prepared,” Lawhorn said. “I think about
the other runners from other schools that are better than
me, and I try to beat them.”
Jacob
Photos by: Kailee Gibson

Cross
Country

Lawhorn, 11

•the gamut

SPORTS 9

Boys’ team looks for winning season
Second-year coach Mitch Loomis
plans to hit the ground running when he
leads the young boys’ basketball team
into the 2013-14 season.
A handful of upperclassmen will push
the younger team members toward a
common goal with Loomis at the helm.
“As with any new year, new players
will have the opportunity to fill roles that
will help us win,” Loomis said. “There
is a real possibility of younger guys getting an opportunity to participate and
contribute at the varsity level, and if they

show they are capable of that, they will
have big time roles for us.”
Last year Loomis got off to a great start
in his head coaching career by leading
the Tigers to their first winning season
in seven years.
“I believe that we laid a solid foundation to build on and set our goals higher
now as we know what we are capable of
achieving,” Loomis said.
Junior Jacob Dickey had a successful
sophomore season, starting in almost
every game, and looks forward to a fresh

season of basketball.
“I will try to take the role as the big
leader on the team,” Dickey said. “I expect a very good and successful season.”
Senior Alex Miller has played a strong
role as the team’s big man in the past and
plans to keep it that way.
The senior class only has three or four
players but Miller is confident in the older
players’ initiative.
Story by: Connor Mickens

The Lady Tigers basketball season
kicked off with a new head coach.
Head coach John Malloy has coached
basketball for 14 years.
“My philosophy is pretty simple,”
Malloy said. “It’s basketball, play hard
on defense and put the ball in the hoop.”
Malloy said he’s looking forward to
getting to know the girls and the coaching
staff as well as the challenge of putting a
quality team on the floor every Tuesday
and Friday night.
“I’m hoping for a winning season,”
Malloy said.
With a new basketball season comes
new challenges.
“One challenge is probably beating
our biggest rival Holton,” said freshman

Carsen Schreiner.
Senior Madison Greene looks forward
to having a winning season.
Malloy said he teaches, inspires and
encourages.
“When players learn something new,
have success with what they’ve learned,
and are encouraged to keep being aggressive, they tend to become motivated,”
Malloy said.
Also with a new basketball season
comes new goals.
“My goal is to improve on things that
need to be worked on, make some new
friends and hopefully score a few baskets,” said sophomore Justise Mongold.
Story by: Anna Mooradian

Wrestlers state expectations for season
Wrestlers look to continue tending
their fruitful program. After their strong
season last year, they will try to build on
that success.
Among returner wrestlers is junior
Sam Shenk, who has high expectations
for the season.
“My goal is to make it to state,” Shenk
said. “I want to improve my skill level of
the sport.”
Shenk and sophomore Nick Reeb
both contributed last year. Some of the
highlights were finishing first as a team
at Atchison and taking second at Piper.
Reeb battled injuries last year and looks
to stay healthy throughout the season.

SPORTS 10

“My expectations are to do a full season, stay healthy and go to state,” Reeb
said. “I also want to win regionals and
go to state.”
Shenk and Reeb both enjoy spending
time with teammates.
“I enjoy it. Wrestling keeps me in
shape, and I get to be with my friends,”
Shenk said. “I encourage others to try
this sport. It might seem different from
other sports because there is no ball,
and you just use your hands and body
for offense and defense.”
Reeb also believes more people should
give wrestling a chance.
“I would encourage people to do wres-

tling because it keeps you in shape, and
it’s fun and you get to get out of school,”
Reeb said.
Even after their competitive year
last year, Shenk knows that there are
still things each wrestler can improve.
He believes that even if he did well last
year, he should be that much better after
another year of experience.
“I expect to do better than last year
and improve on my skills,” Shenk said.
Fellow junior Tucker Schreiner looks
to make a mark this season.
“If everyone puts in the work, it will
be a great season,” Schreiner said.
Story by: Grady Middendorf

•the gamut

Students make sacrifices for hobby
Hunting has become a popular sport
for many students across America. All
week students look forward to Saturday
morning when they wake early.
Local hunting enthusiast Sam Shenk
sacrifices a lot of his time and money for
his hobby.
His passion for hunting started as a
young child.
“When I was a kid I had a BB gun,”
Shenk said.
He shot small animals with the BB gun
and started to move his way up to killing
large deer.
“I hunt to deer mostly because it’s
fun, and I like waking up early in the
morning,” Shenk said.
Also a hunter, junior Jacob Kahler
believes that hunting should be more
popular among students.
“People should give hunting a try,”
Kahler said.
Kahler also started hunting at an early
age.
Jack Roenne, 9

“I started hunting when I was young
with my dad,” Kahler said.
He believes it is a good way to socialize
and build solid relationships.
“I hunt because it’s a lot of fun, and it’s
a good way to spend time with people,”
Kahler said.
Both students entertain the fact that
it is a positive way to spend a weekend in
high school instead of attending parties.
“It’s a good way to pass time, and it
keeps me out of trouble,” Kahler said.
Shenk and Kahler both think that
hunting is worth the cost and time necessary for a positive hunt.
“I have sacrificed a lot of time and
money,” Shenk said.
They have made many entertaining
memories in the sport.
Kahler’s favorite childhood memory
was “when I shot my first deer in the
butt,” Kahler said.
Shenk also has good memories of
hunting.

Chase Montgomery, 9

Art courtesy MCT campus

“I shot two turkeys with one shot
before,” Shenk said. “I think it’s time
consuming, but I love it.”
Story by: Connor Mickens

Makayla Greene, 10

What do
you hunt,
and why?
Poll by: Sydnee Heiden

A

“I hunt deer because they

“I hunt deer, turkey, quail and

“I hunt deer and turkey and

have a lot of meat, and they

pheasants because I enjoy

trap because it’s hard and

are fun to hunt.”

spending time in the wilder-

it’s fun.”

Weststepper commits to each performance
Participating since she was a freshman, junior Emily Brown is an awardwinning part of the Weststepper squad.
Brown, who has gotten All-American
recognition two summers in a row, has
many reasons why she enjoys Weststeppers.
“I just love to dance,” Brown said.

•the gamut

Brown adds that there is a lot that
goes into each performance.
“The hardest thing is getting everyone to agree on moves,” Brown said.
“We learn our routine and go over each
count and perfect it.”
Story by: Grady Middendorf

A
Seniors Nick Yeske and Taylor Bahm represent
the cross country team and a commitment to
running. Both were recognized in October for
running 1,000 miles. “I have a lot of good memories, but what happens on a course stays on the
course,” Bahm said.
Photo by: Sydnee Heiden

“It requires a lot more effort than
you think,” Smith said. “People who
are successful don’t give up easily.”
One memory of Yeske’s is falling at
the McClouth cross country meet six
times with former head coach John
Riley at the finish.
“I was feeling pretty sad,” Yeske
said. “He told me everything would be
all right, and I would be better.”
Story by: Sydnee Heiden

Junior Cassidy Sands is the cheer
captain along with junior Courtney
Bradley.
They both enjoy being captains and
cheering at games.
“It’s fun to be with the squad and
watch the game close to the action,”
Sands said.
The squad experiences many challenges throughout the year.
According to Sands, some of the
challenges include “finding time to
CHEERLEADING Continued on page 13

SPORTS 12

One of many talented students, junior
Darian Housworth participates in competitive cheerleading and dance.
She explains it is not an easy activity
but can be fun.
“I took tumbling classes when I was
little, and my instructor was a cheer
coach and told me to try out for a team,”
Housworth said. “It’s challenging. It’s
something that I enjoy doing, and I like
tumbling and the traveling we do for each
competition.”
According to Housworth, competitive cheer takes a lot of time to master.
Each competition is something new.
Housworth does about one or two competitions each month.
“We have 15 people on our team;
each one
has to do
their job,”
Housworth
said. “We
practice a
lot. Each
practice
is five
hours.”
She said
e a c h
competition is
exciting
and that she and her teammates do not
have much free time when they travel to
events because they are always getting
ready for the events.
“We go to the warm-up mats and then
get loose and ready for the stunts and
tumbling and then wait for our turn to
go,” Housworth said.
Being with her teammates is one
of Housworth’s favorite parts about
competitive cheerleading. She says that
being able to hang out with her friends
makes it worthwhile.
“When you put in all that time, it’s
nice to have some cool people to hang
out with,” Housworth said. “It helps get
you through some of the tough times.”

Darian Housworth, 11

Having logged 1,000 running miles
each, seniors Taylor Bahm and Nick
Yeske were recognized in mid-October
with a t-shirt and handshake from
assistant coach Rod Smith. Bahm began running cross country in seventh
grade, whereas Yeske began freshman
year.
The two started logging their miles
the summer before their freshmen
year. The hours occurred during the
summer, practice and meets.
“I had never considered it or even
thought about (running 1,000 miles)
until two years in, and I had to go for
the gold,” Bahm said.
Both envision running in their
futures. Yeske’s goal is to run a 5K in
under 18 minutes. Bahm’s goal is to
someday run a marathon.
Some of Bahm’s and Yeske’s techniques are to take long strides, avoid
clinching fists and use quick feet going
up a hill.
“Normally I run with Yeske,” Bahm
said. “When I run, normally I have to
run on the left side of Yeske.”
Yeske said running makes everything less complicated.
“In seventh grade I joined because I
‘accidently’ went to the cross country
meeting, and Mr. Kimberline convinced me to join,” Bahm said.
Smith said major change doesn’t
happen overnight.

Story by: Grady Middendorf

•the gamut

Whatever happened to Thanksgiving?
I love winter, glistening snow and ice
that causes the older generation who
are too stubborn to let the neighbor
boy shovel their driveway get a new hip
replacement with one quick slip. Needless to say, Life Alert gets called a lot
because people of every age have fallen
and can’t get up.
Most of these accidents happen as you
run to your poor frozen car. It becomes
a trap that you run to hoping it will be
warmer inside than it is outside. But as
you climb in you realize you were dreadfully wrong; even your heater refuses to
cooperate.
It laughs at you when it sputters to life
after you reach your destination, causing
you to be late to work because you sat
in the parking lot for 15 minutes trying
to defrost your hands off of the steering
wheel.
On your morning or evening commute
you witness the worst crime any American can commit; this crime includes
the chronologically holiday challenged
people in the world. The crime you ask?
Christmas decorating right after Halloween.
Right after Halloween, if I remember correctly, there is another holiday
before Christmas. I believe it’s called…
oh yeah, Thanksgiving. That glorious
holiday where you stuff your belly full
of delicious food, watch football and the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and of
course that wonderful nap you’ve been
looking forward to for months.
It’s the time of year when insurance
companies are the busiest because they
have to help those men who believe
they can deep fat fry their Thanksgiving turkey and then end up blowing up
their garage. And yet they wonder why
women traditionally cook this famous
dinner…it’s because we know the difference between a good dinner and a dinner

disaster.
But there are those in our society
who create a disaster even worse; they
spend their time decorating every inch
of their house and yard with Christmas
decorations.
Their yards will blind you with their
new and improved LED lights that make
you grimace. And Rudolph’s nose is so
big you wonder if his nose is a stop light
that was put in their yard to control the
heavy traffic that drives up their driveway
because their yard gets mistaken for
Winter Wonderland.
If you get the chance to go in their
house you will see a collection of ugly
sweaters in every closet just asking to
be worn in public as they shop for the
perfect gift.
The Christmas tree is the next thing
to be shown off. There are three types
of trees that can be seen. One is the
classic childhood Hallmark tree that
has every keepsake ornament; next is
the extravagant tree you would see in a
billionaire’s home, and the last is the sad
Charlie Brown tree that threatens to limp
over if you even dare put one ornament
on it.
The television can be seen next along
with the undeniably limited movie selection available. All of them are Christmas
classics that have been overplayed or are
older than the owner itself. This means it
is…yes…for those of you who remember
- a video tape.
As you start to feel like Ebenezer
Scrooge you leave the house and step
outside and see that there is no snow on
the ground, but golden leaves. It is fall,
people, not Christmas. We should be
focused on the thanks that should be
given during this time of year, not how to
beat our neighbors in the best Christmas
decorations.
Kids don’t even have room in these

over Christmas-ized yards to run and
jump in leaves. Instead they are too worried that they will trip over a light strand
and God forbid take one of those billions
of light strands out of your holiday masterpiece.
Now if you’re a redneck please feel
free to not take this article to heart; your
Christmas lights that stay up all year long
give a nice touch of class to our rural
country neighborhood.
However, Thanksgiving is the holiday
all of us cherish, not just for the food or
football. It’s because everyone across
the country at one time forgets about
differences, hate and everything that
could possibly go wrong in the span of
a year and gives thanks for everything
that went right.
The rooms in the hosting home reflect
this with beautiful leaves, pumpkins,
gourds, peanut butter pinecone bird
feeders, and of course a whole coffee
table dedicated to Black Friday layouts,
maps, ads, markers and checklists. There
are no other decorations that should be
necessary before Thanksgiving. There is
no room for Rudolph or even the Elf on
the Shelf.
For those who are reading this and are
one of the Americans who participate in
this dastardly crime of Christmas decorating before Thanksgiving, I want to ask
you one question. Whatever happened
to Thanksgiving?
I know this article has no chance
to help you realize you must go to preChristmas decorating rehab for your
special disorder. However, I hope you
will at least see the light to my argument.
So keep the sweaters, lights and VHSs
stored away until after you revive from
Black Friday shopping, then you can
decorate as much as your sugar plum
heart desires.
Commentary by: Sarah Allison

CHEERLEADING Continued from page 12
practice (and) make posters with everyone’s schedule.”
Being co-captain has many responsibilities starting with making positive
decisions on and off the field/court.
Sands said “making sure the squad is
prepared” is important.
According to Sands, team unity is
important to all teams.
“Having a co-captain really helps,”

•the gamut

Sands said.
Sands also says that cheerleading requires her to make a lot of time sacrifices,
which is hard for a high school student.
“Time spent practicing,” Sands says,
is a large sacrifice for her.
Another sacrifice for is “not watching
games from the student section,” Sands
said.
Cheerleaders have a lot of different

routines and stunts to work on in practice.
“We have more material to learn than
most people think,” Sands said.
Sands also participates in other high
school sports. Along with cheer, Sands
plays volleyball and track.
Story by: Connor Mickens

OPINION 13

Tiger journalists travel to Boston
Imagine flying on a three hour
flight to Boston, Mass. where our nation’s history began and the tea has no
tax. You become entranced as you begin
your final decent through the clouds; as
the clouds dissipate you see the Atlantic
Ocean and the islands that make up the
famous hook of Massachusetts welcoming you to Boston.
After the plane landed we embarked on an adventure by having a
shuttle van to our hotel. Drivers in Boston
were not careful on the road; it seemed
that road rage is normal for drivers, as
well as drifting around a corner. We flew
left and right around the van like ping
pong balls until coming to an abrupt
stop at the hotel. Feeling like a sea sick
sailor, I stumbled out of the van to stable
ground.
Our day…well night because the
sun sets at roughly 4 p.m.…started with
registration. Students were in clusters
everywhere moving as a flock as they
tried to squeeze into the halls without
losing anyone. But that never seemed
to work because one always broke free,
leaving the whole group to stand like a
stranded herd of cattle looking for the
lost calf and blocking the whole walkway.
At classes the next day we separated to learn how to get better quotes,
stories, design ideas for yearbook, video
classes, Aurasma tutorials, sports writing, humor writing and photo journalism.
Classes usually ran about 45 minutes
long, giving 15 minutes to walk to the
next class through a sea of other youth
journalists. Finding a chair was often
difficult so most would either stand or
sit on the floor in the main aisle.
On our nightly excursion with the
group one of the things we came across
was the scene of the Boston bombing.
On Boylston Street we found the finish
line to the Boston marathon… you can
still smell the gun powder and shrapnel
as you walk past, creating a pathos feeling for those who were there that day.
The buildings that were affected by the
bomb are surrounded by scaffolding as
they to try to rebuild what was lost.
Our tourist trips included going to
Salem to visit the Witch Museum, Revere
Beach, Boston Common, Paul Revere’s
House, Old North Church, Fenway Park
and the set of the classic TV show Cheers.
At our mall we could only afford the sec-

OPINION 14

Standing in front of a house built in 1750 by a West Indies trader, junior Connor Mickens participates in site
seeing in Salem, Mass. Whille there, the group visited the Salem Witch Museum and Salem Harbor. Other
students who participated in the national convention trip were Grady Middendorf, Sarah Allison, Allie
Deiter and McKena Metzger. Photo by: Sarah Allison

ond floor that consisted of the Gap; Bath
and Body Works; and American Eagle.
Getting lost on the “T” became a
regular habit. However, the locals helped
us every time, from a man who sounded
like Christopher Walkin to the people of
Salem reassuring us that the train would
come and taught Mrs. Sage how to read
the Commuter Train Schedule.
Our trip to Boston was an experi-

ence that none of us will probably forget.
It was filled with laughter and awesome
experiences. From meeting new people,
visiting new places, trying new things and
learning new techniques for journalism,
we gained skills for life. Boston was an
excellent place for us to visit, and I don’t
think any of us would have traded the
experience for the world.
Commentary by: Sarah Allison

•the gamut

Students sign pledge following presentation
“These hands will touch millions of
hearts,” Rachel Scott said in one of her
journal entries.
Rachel’s Challenge is based on the
writings and life of Rachel Scott, who
was the first victim in the Columbine
shooting and has been told to over 19
million people.
Personally I enjoyed the presentation
because of the reactions by the student
body. I liked to look around and see
people in self-reflection of themselves
in response to the presentation.
The presentation was presented by
Colleen Kirk, who put forth five challenges.Draw out the best in others was
the first, and I think this is very hard to
do for most people.
Dream big, which really is something
we have been told repeatedly for almost
all our lives.
Choose positive influences caught
my attention the most out of the five
because I’ve tried to surround myself
with positive influences to improve my
life.
Speak with kindness was another one
that has been drilled into our heads from
the beginning and wasn’t new.
The main part of the presentation and
most important among the five was to
start a chain reaction of kindness.
I don’t know how many of my fellow
students felt touched by the presentation but I for one did and have signed
the banner to do all of these things and
start a chain reaction of kindness.
Commentary by: Anthony Sanchez

A
Following the Nov. 13 presentation, students sign a pledge banner. Students were challenged with five
goals. Photo by: Anthony Sanchez

The Gamut

• a Jefferson West student publication •
Week ending Dec. 3, 2013

#1 Album
Christmas
Michael Buble

Art courtesy MCT Campus

Top tracks

1

Timber • Pitbull

2

Change Me • Justin Bieber

3

Counting Stars • OneRepublic

4

Royals • Lorde

5

Say Something • A Great Big World
and Christina Aguilera

Source: iTunes

•the gamut

Editorial Policy: The Gamut does not necessarily represent the views of the
entire staff, student body, administration or school board. The material is the
research and responsibility of the individual writer.
Staff Members:
Editor: Sarah Allison
Sports: Grady Middendorf, Connor Mickens
Features: Anna Mooradian, Emily Anderson, Hannah Howey, Anthony Sanchez
Alternative Copy: Sydnee Heiden
Adviser: Lisa Sage
Mission Statement:
Every story, every interview, will be done for the people by the people in order
to relay the newsworthy events of today’s past, present, and future.
Content Credit:
Some content courtesy MCT Campus, to which The Gamut subscribes.